July 5th, 1996.
At Firehouse 141.
Claire was watching the news and some bad news was reported at 8:00 AM. The city of Empire was under a Tornado Watch for the past thirty-four hours but it was upgraded to a Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Warning.
The Lieutenant had a special key and opened a filing cabinet that had different booklets that were produced in the 1950s later revised in the 1980s by the Little Bird Government. Each book was for each disaster that could happen: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, typhoon, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather, dust storm, sinkhole, Lahar, and biological hazards.
The Lieutenant gave everyone a task and Lusty’s task was to shut off utilities and search and rescue. But this was just in case a tornado did hit. They could hear strong winds outside but they closed the apparatus bay doors and all windows in the firehouse. Just for precaution the firehouse is a shelter against nature and has a basement and they went down there.
After spending a half an hour in the basement the members of Squad 141 and the CO2 unit went back to surface level.
“Hey I just now found out that Constintine isn’t here,” said Lusty.
Lieutenant replied, “He wasn’t a permanent member here. He went back over to Rescue Squad 18. He was just temporarily until we got a new probie. He used to be assigned here after the fire academy but after three years from 1992 to 1995.”
The power went out and the apparatus bay garage doors wouldn’t open and the doors were blocked. They used the flashlights on their turnout gear to see in the dark. They could hear the heavy rain outside.
“Just hearing the rain reminds me of the movie called ‘Hard rain’ a 1976 disaster movie about the rain that comes down so hard that people not even if they were right next to each other couldn’t hear or see them until the rain broke up a little,” said Lusty. “But this isn’t a B film with a budget of a penny.”
A firefighter replied, “Meaning?”
“Before the movie opening credits start to roll you’ll know how the movie ends,” said Lusty. “It’s so cheesy and the acting was so bad that my dad it’s a terrible movie and it is. I mean it was poorly written, the actors didn’t really give off a vibe that they were trapped on an island and had to make it to high ground while the rain caused flooding and they had three days to get to high ground.
"But the actors and actresses didn’t make it like it was urgent not adding there were enemy mercenaries on the island that wanted to kill them as well. It was a waste of an hour and forty five minutes of my life. They should’ve given the rain and rising water an award or oscar for the best actor and best villain. The front and back doors of my house have more of a personality than the actors and actresses in that cheesy film! It’s so cheesy that a B filma Z film doesn't do it justice! And Z films are movies that shouldn't be made!”
“Alright Lusty you know what you’re assigned too,” said the Lieutenant.
Lusty replied, “Yes sir I’m tasked with shutting off any and all gas mains and to shut off any power so downed power lines don’t cause any more harm.”
The Lieutenant told her that it was a rhetorical question but told her that it’s good that she remembered what she was assigned to. Lusty also ran over to Squad 41 and she got a gas valve wrench and some other tools. She went around the neighborhood and district of Riverview and she did shut off gas mains and went to two different substations in the district that she was able to shut off the power. They had a problem and that is that communications are down.
“Oh good lord I would hate to be a doctor!” said Lusty, “Or a member in one of the city eight hospitals they’re probably overwhelmed with injuries and the city eight hospitals only can treat 275 people each and the city twelve clinics only can treat ten people so that’s 2320 people together… Oh fuck me we’re also going to be using out medical skills.”
Lusty was able to return to Squad 141 where they were doing search and rescue but they’re looking for elderly people and at-risk people first. Other fire companies are doing the same but the day before firehouses 14,15,17,23,53,59,81,87 and 92 left for a wildfire that’s north of the city.
They went to each house that elderly people were staying at and safely got them out. They had to move rubble of collapsed houses. But they would mark trees or something with red spray paint to alert other first responders that a Squad 141 already was there and didn't need anymore help.
When Squad 141 fought their first fire they learned that the water lines were damaged and the fire hydrants were out of service. They only had to rely on the one thousand gallon water tank on the fire engine and they had to draw water from the river. It reminded the Lieutenant about a documentary he saw about the 1907 Empire Earthquake which destroyed the water lines so the Fire Department City of Empire had to rely on the city cisterns and the river to draw water to fight fires.
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Sometimes they would need to leave the scene of a fire to refill the fire engine water tank and booster tank and go back to fight fires and repeat and do the same.
“I would hate to do those high-rise rescues,” said Lusty. “I bet a lot of those high rises and skyscrapers are structurally unsound even with specialized gear. Hate to be those people trapped in elevators too.”
The Lieutenant replied, “Firehouses 19, 71, Squad 525, Rescue 17 and Rescue 18 got it. We have to focus our support here to help the people here. Every other fire company in the city is busy and has their own. And the police department is busy as well with quelling looters with deadly force and trying to retain law and order.”
“A single storm shouldn’t have produced tornadoes in a short time,” said a Squad 141 firefighter. “It’s impossible for a single storm to make so many tornadoes.”
Lusty replied, “That’s incorrect. From April 3–4, 1974 the United States. Super Outbreak was the first tornado outbreak in recorded history to produce more than 100 tornadoes in under a 24-hour period a total of 148 tornadoes. While a large number of tornadoes at once is unusual, storms that spawn multiple tornadoes aren't uncommon either.And that when warnings or watches are given a tornado strikes between from 3 minutes to 15 minutes. The first tornado struck here hit five minutes after the warning was given and another struck ten minutes after the first and the third struck ten minutes after the second.”
“How the Hell do you know that?” asked another firefighter on Squad 141, “Got an encyclopedia of storms on you at all times?”
Lusty replied, “High school science teacher. He is an Earth science teacher and also a meteorologist when school is out during spring, summer, fall, and winter breaks.”
“Thought you had an encyclopedia of storms and disasters shoved up your ass or have it on you at all times.” said the same firefighter.
Lusty replied, “Unlike most of my classmates when I was in school most of them didn’t pay attention while I had straight A’s due to of paying attention.”
They kept moving rubble and sometimes they were able to save people who were trapped, sometimes they recovered deceased bodies. Sometimes they were under protection of armed and armored Empire Police Officers from Empire Police Department 14th Precinct or the Little Bird Island Patrol Northwest Empire Barracks.
The police riot armor did scare Lusty because the police riot armor the helmet was a rounded shell that protects the head from incoming gunfire, while the lamps on the right side of the helmet and the armor is torso assembly is a flexible vest of rigid impact plates, worn with adjustable straps on the sides and shoulders. One of its most notable additions is a prominent throat protector mounted on the vest to protect the throat. Not adding it’s all black and the armor gives the officers a militaristic look but they were given to the police from the military.
Some areas were under attack by some people who tried to hinder their search and rescue efforts but they overcame them and sometimes they were under the protection of the city militia which replaced the Little Bird Home Guard in 1970. Of course the city of Empire Militia used deadly force.
Squad 141 then went to go check on the university, Arcane University.
“Hey Probie, you know the history of Arcane University?” asked the Lieutenant.
Lusty replied, “Created in 1860, During World War One there were five fires and during World War Two there were ten fires which at the time City, Borough of Mountain and Government leaders thought it was sabotage from the Central Powers later Axis, But it was experiments gone wrong but during both Wars the Little Bird Armed Forces and the Little Bird Government aided and supported the Allies and didn’t officially declare war on Axis powers until April 15th, 1942, On October 26th, 1954 it was a warm Tuesday where there was a major explosion in the School of Science and Medicine building that killed a few thousand people. Many people thought it was Soviet sabotage but a government reporting in late Winter-early Spring 1955 reported it was an explosion of a prechloric acid reaction experiment gone wrong. From 1965 to 1975 clashes between Anti war students and police officers from then Empire Police Dept 14thn Precinct and the Little Bird Island Patrol Northwest Empire Barricks the anti war demonstrators and hippies classed about every night. And throughout the 1980s and early 90s the campus like many other colleges and universities around the world faced a drug epidemic.”
“Okay she has a big book of knowledge on her somewhere,” said a firefighter of Squad 141.
They roamed around the campus ground where a majority of the students and faculty members were safe but a lot of students and faculty members went home. With the power being out they couldn't get in contact with them. Some students and staff of the Arcane University lived in off campus housing near the university where some of the homes were fine and were hiding in the basement of the houses. While others needed to be found through search and rescue and taken to a hospital.
After they helped the residential district of Riverview they moved into the city to help others in the high rises and skyscrapers. What was scary was how the windows were blown out but they just got people out of elevators while other fire companies gave people some basic aid and were taken to one of the city’s eight hospitals.
They heard over a radio that the city has authorized the use of the football stadium as a makeshift triage center.
When they headed into the residential district of Emerald Pastors to help Engine 16 to fight a fire at a gas station where they heard the sound of trucks where it was General Army Light 68 off-road capable, 21⁄2-ton, 6×6 trucks in dark olive green paint with a blue star on the driver and passenger door. They heard some loud banging sounds and a female saying “Let’s go! Let’s go! Fall out!”
It was the Marines from the Little Bird Third Marine Division who came to help with search and rescue, medical aid, and to aid the Empire Police Department, Little Bird Island Patrol Empire Barracks, and the Empire Militia to restore law and order. Lusty thought that agitators and aggressive people will give up and not want to fight because the Third Marine Division is armed with Semiautomat Service Garand rifles, X16 assault rifles, and every other marine with a Squad Automatic Weapon and Shotgun not adding the APC’s are either mounted with a .50 Cal HMG or a Minigun with a few mounted with a flamethrower that shoots napalm.
***
At night.
“Excuse me ma’am?” asked a college age female, “What does Class 1 mean here on fire apparatus?”
Lusty replied, "Class 1 means it has water, Class 2 means it has foam, Class 3 means it’s meant for wildland and rural. There’s also Class 4 but that’s for the Heavy Rescue Companies and Class 5 is for HAZMAT. Why?”
The Hispanic college age student told Lusty that she’s studying fire science at Arcane university and she was curious and wanted to know.
The next several days were rough. The estimated cost was $12 billion Little Bird dollars ($18 billion USD) but heavy construction equipment was brought in to knock down the unstable buildings that would collapse sooner or later. Rebuilding began right after the storm passed with power, water, and other utilities being repaired around the clock and emergency residential shelters were in place to house the many homeless people while their homes were getting rebuilt. When Lusty was able to go home her house was still standing but the windows were blown out and the front and back doors were blown in.
Lusty wasn’t worried about being robbed or looted because her house had nothing valuable anyway due to the fact that she's still moving in and it’s hardly furnished. The members of Squad 141 during her shift were kind enough during their off duty days to come and help her to fix up her house and install new doors and new windows which she chose double hang windows.